


Lifeline

by Tortellini



Category: Free!
Genre: 30 Day OTP Challenge, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Aquaphobia, Character Study, Childhood, Childhood Trauma, Destroying Childhood Memories, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fear, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Holding Hands, Hurt/Comfort, I'm Sorry, Inner Dialogue, M/M, Makoto-centric, Male Friendship, No Dialogue, Not Happy, Ocean, Sad, Sad with a Happy Ending, Swimming, Wordcount: 100-500, thalassophobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-07
Updated: 2017-04-07
Packaged: 2018-10-15 21:05:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10557702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tortellini/pseuds/Tortellini
Summary: A little boy tries to be brave, but when he sees the ocean, he falls apart. His friend is there to press the pieces gently back into place.Oneshot/drabble





	

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: Holding hands

There was a sort of uncontrollable despair that the ocean brought Makoto. It festered and was then born from the very back of his throat. And then the despair clogged up his heart, only to mingle with an embarrassingly childish fear… But really, try as he might, he couldn’t get rid of it.

And Makoto knew he was always sort of a scaredy cat--jumping at nothing but mere shadows with a sheepish smile. But the ocean...the ocean was something else.

He could close his tired eyes and see the wind, the rain, mixing on his tear-stained cheeks. He could hear the roar of the waves crashing on the dock, wet feet icy in his sandals. And most of all, he could feel deep down that the old fisherman with the kind eyes who had brought him the goldfish was...dead…

No, not just dead. Drowned. By _it._ By the ocean.

And honestly, Makoto was terrified that he’d end up like that too…

But he could remember something else that night. A sudden warmth that had enveloped his  hand then, as he fought back another scream. It’s okay, a silent voice pleaded. Haru’s here. Quiet Haruka, who lived for swimming and for the very ocean that Makoto couldn’t stand; Haru, who kept him company, who he ended up sharing his lunch with. Haru didn’t look at him either, but he’d just held his hand tighter.

He was his lifeline, in every sense of the word.


End file.
